-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- ABC 's newest family , the affluent Johnsons on `` Black-ish , '' has been very well-received .

The freshman comedy , about a successful African-American family man 's struggle with cultural identity , made its debut on the network Wednesday night to impressive ratings . The pilot episode had an audience of 10.8 million and a rating of 3.3 in the key demographic of 18-49 .

By comparison , `` Black-ish 's '' lead-in , the multiple Emmy-winning `` Modern Family , '' started its sixth season Wednesday with 10.9 million watching and a rating of 3.7 .

To put it another way : This is exactly how you want your pilot episode to launch .

Written by Kenya Barris and starring Anthony Anderson , Tracee Ellis Ross and Laurence Fishburne , `` Black-ish '' centers on an African-American family living a comfortable life in the suburbs .

Dad Andre `` Dre '' Johnson -LRB- Anderson -RRB- is an advertising exec raising four kids with his doctor wife -LRB- Ross -RRB- . He is also acutely aware of how far he 's come from his upbringing .

`` I guess for a kid from the ` hood , I 'm living the American dream , '' Anderson 's Dre says in an opening voiceover . `` The only problem is , whatever American had this dream probably was n't where I 'm from . And if he was , he should 've mentioned the part about how when brothers start getting a little money , stuff starts getting a little weird . ''

Dre admits that he sometimes feels like `` a bit of an oddity '' in his neighborhood , and throughout the pilot he worries that his four kids are growing up without a clear understanding of who they are . For example , his son Andre Jr. prefers to be called `` Andy , '' tries out for field hockey instead of his dad 's sport of choice , basketball , and is angling for a bar mitzvah for his birthday .

And at work , Dre is faced with eye-rolling questions from colleagues on `` how a black man would say good morning , '' and the possibility that he was promoted to head the agency 's `` urban '' division because of his race . -LRB- Dre 's internal response to the promotion : `` Wait . Did they just put me in charge of black stuff ? '' -RRB-

But while Dre 's fretting could -LRB- and does -RRB- raise more serious conversations about race , class and identity , `` Black-ish '' is still a comedy , and critics have praised it for knowing just how to leverage its complex subject for laughs .

`` Even in a better season , ABC 's provocative and very funny ` Black-ish ' would stand out for its broad and biting satire of an uneasily post-racial society seen through a very modern-family prism , '' said TV Guide .

`` I 'm grateful that ` Black-ish ' exists , first and foremost because it 's funny , '' said The Huffington Post 's Maureen Ryan . But , she continued , '' ` Black-ish ' has to be more than just another pretty good sitcom . As one of the few comedies on a major network with a predominantly African-American cast , it has to navigate the issue of race in America . It ca n't just be funny , it has to be astute and adept as well . The good news is that so far , it navigates that challenging territory with intelligence , wit and subversive purpose . ''

Entertainment Weekly was n't as convinced , critiquing the series as `` funny , but ... not revolutionary . '' Giving it a `` B '' grade , EW 's critic felt the comedy `` skews too broad , '' and some of that mixed reaction could be found on Twitter . Responses ranged as widely as flat-out hating it and finding it racist to being pleasantly surprised .

But of course , we 're only one episode in , as Time 's James Poniewozik pointed out in his review . '' ` Black-ish 's ' nuance is promising -- it 's aware that there 's not just one way to be black -- and the sheer level of execution suggests it has staying power , '' he said . `` For now , I can only say what I want to hear about any new half-hour : it happens to be funny . ''

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ABC premiered one of its new comedies , `` Black-ish , '' on Wednesday night

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The series stars Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross

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It 's about a family trying to retain cultural identity

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So far , critical reaction has been largely positive